Ahead of the upcoming Commonwealth Games, Australias Victoria state is all set to pay A$380 million (appropriately $243 million) to its organisers, said Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews today (August 19) after it withdrew as 2026 event host citing a projected cost blowout.Victoria to pay $243 million to Commonwealth GamesNotably, in July, Victoria pulled out its name from hosting a quadrennial multi-sport event. According to Andrews, the costs could have ballooned to more than A$7 billion from a budgeted A$2.6 billion.Amid this, it has raised possibilities that the Games may not take place for the first time since being cancelled due to the Second World War.In a joint decision issued by Andrews, the Commonwealth Games Federation, Commonwealth Games Federation Partnerships, Commonwealth Games Australia and Victoria said they had settled all their disputes regarding the cancellation of the multi-hub regional Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games.“The State of Victoria has agreed to pay the Commonwealth Games parties … AUD 380 million,” it said.The statement also added, “The parties also agreed that the multi-hub regional model was more expensive to host than the traditional models.”The payout comes after another blow was dealt to the Commonwealth Games when Canadas Alberta province earlier this month, withdrew its support for a bid for the 2023 Games.
